My Roku should be here today or tomorrow. I'm excited, because ultimately, it should lead to decreased costs for entertainment. I'm still going to keep the cable television for a month or two, while I figure out the best way to get my favorite programming, and whether or not I need to buy one or more new antennas, but I'm excited about the possibilities. I can no longer access YouTube on my blu-ray player or Sony (Google) smart TV, since they're pre-2013, so I'm excited that I will be able to watch tutorials and cooking and other videos on there using the Roku. I know several people here have Rokus. If you have one (or more), how do you use it? Which services (Netflix, Hulu, etc.) do you subscribe to, and/or do you use others such as Vudu? I've never used Vudu, because it's one that I can't access with my blu-ray player. However, I've noticed in some cases, the Vudu movie prices are lower than Amazon's and definitely much lower than those of my cable provider.
I think I have a Roku in the shop that belonged to my great granddad. It must be at least a hundred years old.
I have Roku. It plugs into the back of my TV. There are more channels than I can list, Some are free, most are not. It seems the most popular ones are Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and You Tube. I dont use Vudu. Netflx and Amazon is commerical free. Hulu has short commercials but for a few extra dollars you can but the commercial free version of Hulu. Amazon charges by the year, 99.00 but include free, 2 day shipping on most Amazon merchandise . You Tube is free, one ad at start but you can skip after a few seconds. There are free news channels, free cooking. There are so many choices and other plans available through Roku it's made my head spin.
We have an Apple TV, which is similar; but I think that the Roku gets more channels than Apple TV gets. It doesn't get Amazon, for one thing. We can still watch Amazon movies on the Apple TV platform, but only because we have iPads , and can use AirPlay to throw the pictures up on the TV. We tried Hulu+ before, and Bobby didn't like it because of all the commercials; so this time, we signed up for the commercial-free version, and he likes that much better. Hulu has more of the newer programs online, but I think that Netflix probably has more overall selection. We have discussed upgrading to either a Roku or a Fire TV (Amazon); but the truth is that we use the iPad's far more than we do the television. We actually only turn on the TV to watch the news, weather, or the political debates. Once we get the hang of using the antenna channels, we will probably discontinue the cable; but they agreed to lower my cost by $20 each month, and we have not turned it off yet.
I've used Roku for several years now, upgrading to new Roku boxes when they become available. We have three of them in the house: my wife and I each have one, and another is hooked up to the family TV upstairs. There are bunches of channels available, including several free ones that have a lot of older movies and television series, as well as a bunch of ones that aren't worth bothering with. There are also several pay channels, such as Netflix, Amazon, Hulu Plus, Google Play, Pure Flix, HBO Now, and others, some with monthly or annual payments, while others require payment for each movie. Hulu has a free version as well as a paid version, which doesn't include the channels. Live TV is available on a Roku through Sling, which has several channels available, but is particularly useful for those who want to cut the cord but still want live sports. You can also get movie channels like Showtime and Starz. Pandora radio is nice, with a free and a paid version. You create a few channels based on types of music or specific musicians or bands that you like, and it will do a pretty good job of learning what else you might enjoy. I use that one a lot when I am working on something that doesn't allow me to pay enough attention to watch a movie.
Yes, I had Sling for awhile. It helped with the transition but I dumped it after awhile. Same with CinemaNow and Fandor, although I must say for vintage, Fandor is pretty good especially for early animation which fascinates me. I really like Pandora radio, too. Spotify is one radio I need to look into, though. I don't understand how the more expensive Roku works. There is so much on the cheapest, what is the advantage?
I don't think the newer versions add any channels that you can't get with the older ones. It's a different interface with different options, usually intended to make things easier to find.
I have had a Roku for a couple of years not.. I am disappointed with it lately now that the History Channel,and others, are not requiring a TV service provider (cable) to view their channel..With that being said, there are still alot of free stuff on there. I really use YouTube more than any other channel..
That's good to know @Ken N Louis, I watch History channel sometimes. Thanks, y'all. @Shirley Martin Do you understand what a Roku is now? It's one type of streaming device that's used to obtain television (and radio) programming without having to subscribe to cable or satellite television services. That's why I got mine, so I can hopefully cut the cable, since I can't afford the bill. I'm tired of them raising the price even after agreeing to lower it. There are other similar devices available, as well. @Yvonne Smith mentioned Apple TV and the Fire Stick (by Amazon), and there's also Chromecast, which is from Google. Other devices exist as well, but these are the top tier. Even though the Roku arrived the other day, I've been under the weather, so haven't had the chance to explore it. I did take it out and put the batteries in the remote, etc., but I haven't even plugged it in yet. I have noticed in the past that sometimes Vudu has lower prices on movie rentals, so I might use that. It's actually one I've been interested to try, since I have the ability to stream Netflix, Amazon and Hulu plus on my blu-ray, but it's an older model, so it doesn't have Vudu (which is a movie and television show streaming service now owned by Walmart, in case anyone's unaware), and YouTube is no longer available. A $5 Vudu discount coupon came with the Roku, which will probably cover the cost of anything I want to watch.
A nice thing about Roku is that if there is a specific movie that you want to see, you can search for it and it will tell you which of the major channels have it, as well as the price, so you don't have to search each of them individually, or pay to see it on one only to find later that it was available for free on another. It doesn't search the several minor channels though. Also, if you are looking for a movie that none of the current Roku channels have, you can bookmark it will let you know if it becomes available later.
I was talking to my granddaughter about that at lunch yesterday. She said she has Roku. She explained it to me. I dumped my cable a couple of years ago. I rarely watch TV at all. I have a digital antenna that picks up around 22 stations. She said that there is a kids cartoon station on Roku that she thinks Bubba would enjoy. I may get one just for that. Is it simple enough so that a technology challenged Gramma could work it?
Wow, that's a great function, @Ken Anderson. I'm so glad you mentioned it, because in the past, I've paid to rent a movie, only later to find that it was actually available elsewhere for free. I need every penny I have, and hate wasting money like that. @Shirley Martin I will know better once I set mine up, but I don't think it would be too complicated for you. I set up my blu-ray and have set up other things (my old smart TV), and I'm sure if I can do it, you can. If you have any problems, you could always ask here, and I'm sure @Ken Anderson or someone else who has one would be happy to help. I think the streaming stick (cheapest option) would be fine for you. The other more expensive ones mainly have to do with being able to use a headset or insert a micro SD card, etc.
I'm thinking of getting a somewhat larger TV and mounting it on the wall, above the console. I don't like huge TV screens, I'm thinking 43 inch diagonal. Anyway, I might as well get a smart TV. I understand then I would not then need the Roku. I am confused.
Yes, you shouldn't need a Roku with a smart TV, as long as it has all of what you want, which is probably pretty basic, like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, YouTube... My smart TV is older, and Sony/Google (whichever, it's by both) no longer supports Amazon, so I can't watch Amazon programming on it. YouTube also isn't supported any longer, so I can't use that unless I use a Roku, Streaming Blu-ray player, etc. There are also private Roku channels that apparently have quite a bit of other programming, but my viewing needs are pretty basic, and can probably be supported just with the major channels.